“There's no such thing as

Introducing primary school children to technology and promoting it might increase their interest in the field.

“There's no such thing as female and male fields”

As a young person, Merja Peltokoski, Senior Lecturer and Degree Programme Leader at Turku University of Applied Sciences, wanted to be an artisan but an interest in technology eventually won out.

Text and photo | Veera Laaksonen

In her childhood, Peltokoski remembers how boys were told about opportunities in technology while girls were mainly introduced to nursing. However, societal norms didn’t determine her education choices.

Peltokoski learned about technology as a child when she and her father repaired machinery on their farm. The final decision about her own further education was made when her brother began studying mechanical engineering in Tampere.

– I was visiting my brother when I saw a book by Aimo Pere, a respected teacher and writer in mechanical engineering, and started to look through it. After this, I decided to apply and was accepted to study mechanical engineering at LUT University, says Peltokoski as she describes her path to technology.

After graduating with a master’s degree in mechanical engineering in 2006, Peltokoski spent the next few years working as a designer for the tech-

nology service company Etteplan Group before moving on to teach at LUT University. A maternity leave position at LUT lasted for nearly 10 years, during which she qualified as a vocational teacher and completed a doctoral degree. Now Peltokoski has been working at Turku UAS for about four years.

A demanding teacher who also stands up for students

Among other things, Peltokoski teaches product documentation, sheet metal and joining technology, and machining. The best thing about teaching is seeing the students develop and experience success.

– This development is most obvious in first-year students who know next to nothing about the field. The students are nervous during the first lectures and don’t understand what they’re doing yet. As the course progresses, the students also notice their own development. Times like that make me remember why I want to do this work, says Peltokoski.

Based on course feedback, some students consider Peltokoski and her teaching style demanding and perhaps even a bit scary at first. Strict deadlines with no flexibility are one sign of that, but the students have often changed their tone by the end of the course.

– In the long run, I always want to take the students into consideration in my teaching. My principle when teaching is to remember my own student days: how would I have wanted my teacher to describe things?

Breaking down assumptions and stereotypes

Peltokoski believes in the future of automation technology. Students are interested in the field, which is also apparent in specialisation choices. However, she also wants to point out that manufacturing technology will never disappear.

– The idea that people would no longer be needed as automation becomes more prevalent is a common assumption. However, this is not the case. Of course, automation means that robots start performing some tasks, but people are always needed in the background. We need brains to solve problems, and that’s where the engineer comes into the picture.

Peltokoski doesn't deny that automation might replace some tasks in the field, but she has never witnessed a situation in which automating operations has led to job losses.

During spring 2022, Peltokoski has one female student in the specialisation stage, and ten of them in core studies. Some classes have no female students at all.

According to Peltokoski, female students are spread very evenly among different mechanical engineering specialisations, although more tend to be interested in automation technology and service design.

– Many choose machine automation technology because manufacturing technology still has a reputation as being dirty, oily work that takes place in a workshop. That’s not the case, even though it’s a common assumption.

How could the attractiveness of technology fields be increased, especially among women? – I'd be a genius if I knew the answer to that question, says Peltokoski with a laugh.

– No one can be forced into a particular field, but introducing primary school children to technology and promoting it might increase their interest in the field. High school could already be too late, she continues.

She believes that guidance counsellors who encourage all students to consider all different fields play an important role in the attractiveness of different sectors.

– There's no such thing as female and male fields.

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